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I don't have any stats to prove this, but I'm willing to bet the answer is very simple: Philly is too close and too cheap to not just go there. No reason for Collingswood to build up when you can pay probably around the same price to live in the city. By the same token, no impetus for Westmont to develop a lot of nightlife (PJ's is fun though!) when the city is only 15 minutes away. Ultimately, Philly isn't anywhere close to maxing out the way Manhattan has. Once (if ever) that happens, Camden will get its turn, then the rest of the speedline corridor. Or maybe Camden will get bypassed then too haha.
This is the most frequently proffered reason for the dearth of development in SJ, and I can't really dispute it too much. For instance, while the PA suburbs of Philly offer more than SJ, I don't think most of the Main Line towns have seen as much redevelopment as New York's suburbs. There are a few exceptions...West Chester has boomed because of the university, and Conshohocken is attempting to grow a bit of an entertainment district, but in general you don't see the same kind of growth as in Montclair or Morristown, not to mention the Gold Coast. That said, I think there's more to it than just the "Philly is cheap" explanation. For instance, I think there are folks who would like to live in a downtown-style village without necessarily living in a huge city like Philadelphia. The SJ towns could offer that alternative if they developed a bit more. I also think the cheapness and convenience of the PATCO isn't played up enough...I mean if there were somehow a train that got you from a leafy north Jersey suburb to Midtown Manhattan in 20 minutes and ran 24/7, those towns would be in hot demand. The Lumberyard project points the way forward; the failure of the Haddon Towne center project indicates there's still room for improvement.
The Riverline towns are another issue entirely. A train that stops running at 9 doesn't do much for encouraging tourism. Honestly, I don't really understand why the state needed to spend millions on a mass transit system that goes through a not particularly populous region without many employment centers. Expanding the HBLR, the Newark light rail, NJ transit heavy rail, or building the southern PATCO would have all been better uses of those funds. Interestingly, an article I read on Brodentown's growth mentioned it in connection with NYC not Philadelphia, so perhaps it really is the pull of Manhattan that does drive growth in NJ.
The Riverline towns are another issue entirely. A train that stops running at 9 doesn't do much for encouraging tourism. Honestly, I don't really understand why the state needed to spend millions on a mass transit system that goes through a not particularly populous region without many employment centers. Expanding the HBLR, the Newark light rail, NJ transit heavy rail, or building the southern PATCO would have all been better uses of those funds. Interestingly, an article I read on Brodentown's growth mentioned it in connection with NYC not Philadelphia, so perhaps it really is the pull of Manhattan that does drive growth in NJ.
Despite the criticism that the Riverline constantly receives, it's still an important transit line for the state. If it wasn't for the Riverline, there would be absolutely no rail connection between North and South Jersey. If someone from South Jersey wants to commute upstate by rail, having the Riverline eliminates the process going out of the state to Pennsylvania to catch a SEPTA train to Mercer County, NJ. I'm glad NJT finally opened up the Pennsuaken Transit Center which connects the Riverline with the Atlantic City Line. With that being said, the Atlantic City Line needs a much better time schedule if they want to improve ridership.
Newsflash: North Jersey growing, South Jersey shrinking, title of thread continues to be bullsh*t. Fastest-growing county in the state is Hudson; fastest-declining county in the state is Cape May. Of the seven unequivocally "South Jersey" counties, five lost population in the past year, with only Gloucester and Atlantic seeing population gains. In North Jersey, even Essex County saw population gains--only the outer counties of Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon posted declines.
Newsflash: North Jersey growing, South Jersey shrinking, title of thread continues to be bullsh*t. Fastest-growing county in the state is Hudson; fastest-declining county in the state is Cape May. Of the seven unequivocally "South Jersey" counties, five lost population in the past year, with only Gloucester and Atlantic seeing population gains. In North Jersey, even Essex County saw population gains--only the outer counties of Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon posted declines.
Those are just estimates. The official 2010 census results clearly showed a population increase for every county in South Jersey except for Cape May County. So your whole notion that South Jersey is shrinking doesn't really hold much merit.
Those are just estimates. The official 2010 census results clearly showed a population increase for every county in South Jersey except for Cape May County. So your whole notion that South Jersey is shrinking doesn't really hold much merit.
South Jersey is done... The only people there are retired people and after the bad weather we have had, increased insurance rates, and jacked up laws im sure more people will leave... North NJ is where all the action is .
Despite the criticism that the Riverline constantly receives, it's still an important transit line for the state. If it wasn't for the Riverline, there would be absolutely no rail connection between North and South Jersey. If someone from South Jersey wants to commute upstate by rail, having the Riverline eliminates the process going out of the state to Pennsylvania to catch a SEPTA train to Mercer County, NJ. I'm glad NJT finally opened up the Pennsuaken Transit Center which connects the Riverline with the Atlantic City Line. With that being said, the Atlantic City Line needs a much better time schedule if they want to improve ridership.
Your point about the Riverline providing connectivity between SJ and the bulk of NJtransit in NNJ is something I hadn't appreciated...and in the long term more rail anywhere in the state is a good thing, and maybe in the next decade it will deter the construction of more office parks and housing developments in exchange for redeveloping Riverside or Burlington.
South Jersey is done... The only people there are retired people and after the bad weather we have had, increased insurance rates, and jacked up laws im sure more people will leave... North NJ is where all the action is .
Yet it's people from upstate who come to places like Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore for fun and entertainment. It's a lot more people coming from North Jersey to South Jersey than vice versa.
So? It was still an official count. What your going by are estimates which is not an official count, as the census only does it once every 10 years.
Quote:
South Jersey is shrinking now; it was growing back then.
The fact remains that every county except one in South Jersey had growth between 2000-2010. Your argument is ultimately a losing one.
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